HIGH AND DRY!!

Hi All.

Sorry it's been a long time since we've updated our Blog.

One month has gone by since our return crossing of the Coral Sea back to Cairns.

The trip back into Australian waters was longer  than the 'dream run' we had going to PNG.
During this return trip we encounted every type of wind and sea condition you could think of, (barring the heights of the southern ocean seas!).

It's amazing how the Coral Sea differs from the Tasman Sea, which differs from the Pacific Ocean!
 In 3 words, I would describe the Coral Sea's sea-state as: Short, Sharp and Lumpy!

Not a smooth ride, but rather a jarring or 'bashing'  (into a headwind) experience!


Arriving into Cairns with salt encrusted, sleep deprived, wind-blown bodies was a welcoming but mixed experience.

Welcoming....the familiar feeling of a fresh water shower; a cappacino; and the ease of obtaining  fresh food/vegies;

Mixed....my mind was still back with the Louisiades indigenous people and the daily  island life.

Compared with some tribes of mainland PNG, The Louisiade people are built of slighter  frame. We found them extremely gentle, shy, but welcoming.

The surrounding sea is their home. They own the islands they live on, including the surrounding waters enclosed by the reef.

So if one wants to fish or collect crayfish, it's polite to ask their permission, or even better, to invite them along (as they are faster and more skilled in catching whatever you want)! Then in exchange we would trade a T-shirt or fish hooks.
Money is not as valued, as there are no shops!

....Anyway back to present day happenings in Queensland waters.
"Out There",Greg and I are High and Dry... getting some repair work done to the Rigging ; along with general repair  to keel, rudder, and water blasting of hull, anti-fouling etc.

During the leg from Magnetic Island to Cape Upstart  and Gloucester Passage, we hit 'washing machine' conditions....or as Kirsty Brown would say: "Ripping + Curling" (esp off Cape Bowling Green where there's lots of shallow banks).

 Strong squally winds and steep (short wave-length) seas hitting us at the wrong angle, was the straw that broke the camel's back. This was when Greg saw one of the starboard shrouds starting to come apart.
 We quickly dropped all sails, so as not to overload the rigging (as this is what keeps the mast vertical); then started motoring to the nearest port which has riggers available.

Fortunately, Airlie Beach Slipway had an immediate vacancy. So to our surprise, we motored into the Marina straight towards the "travel Lift", where two shipwrights were standing with ropes in hand directing us onto the lifting straps.

So here we are High and Dry with first floor ocean views with live-a-board permission.!
Don't you love Queensland's insurance and OH+S standards?

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Sailing Canoes

Before long boats arrived the transport between the islands are the sailing canoe. Because of the isolation of the Lousiades the canoes are still widely used for trading between the islands.

tacking

The hull is symmetrical and to tack they reverse the direction of the boat and move the tack of the sail to the other end of the boat.

One of the jobs of the crew is to continuously bail out the boat.

The sail cloth is a mixture of  tarpaulins and donated old cruising sails. 

Panapompom Island 19/9/2010

Panapompom Island is an excellent anchorage in a large lagoon that has many  easy entrances.

The Australian Reef Pilots have a operation based there. They place pilots onto the bulk carriers that are to pass through the Hydrographers passage  on the way to Hay Point or Abbot Point coal loaders. The Bulk carriers that are going to China or Japan pass through the Jamard passge that is just to the west of the island.

This area was in the middle of the battle of the Coral Sea  fought during May 4–8, 1942. There is a Japanese Zero in 2m of water just off the beach.

 


























The guardians of the wreck are very aggressive to trespassers and will attack you no matter the size difference

Panasia Island 16/9/2010

Panasia island has an excellent anchorage , but the entrance was a narrow passage between the coral reefs.

It was the first time we had an opportunity to trade with the local people. Each family has an area of land where they grow bananas, yams, pumpkins, papaya. It is a slash and burn cultivation and they can only get 1 year of use out of the soil and then they have to go to a new area and clear it for the next season. We traded T shirts and fishing hooks for their produce. The main request was for soccer  boots.

Plenty of lobsters where available for trading for a T shirt

 

The people are Melanesian and the language spoken is Misaman, and is only spoken in the Lousiades and every one can speak English well. We are called "Dim Dims" in their language  and they take quite delight when we say "Dim Dims".

The archipelago is remote and does not get much assistance from the PNG government, so the cruising yachts are very welcome in the area as we are a good source for clothing, tools and medical supplies.

The trip across the coral sea. 11 of September

We departed Yorkeys Knob at 10:30 of the morning of Saturday the 11 of September. There were 26 boats in the rally ranging from a 17.5m Beneteau to a 10.6m Alejuela in the mono hulls and the largest catamaran was 16m long, we were the second smallest boat in the fleet.

We sailed through the Grafton passage at 1700 hours into the Coral Sea with a pleasant 15knt south easterly wind and then changed coarse to 50 degrees true slightly above the rumb line. As we got further from the coast the wind started to go slightly more to east, and ranged from 110 degrees to 131 degrees and the wind strength never got above 25knts and the seas were moderate.

By the second day the wind was consistently above 20knts, so we put 2 reefs in the main and put up the number 4 jib on the inner forestay, a bomb proof combination. The boat felt wonderful and Pukey the auto pilot had a very pleasant job. The apparent  wind was from 45 degrees to 60 degrees and this caused the occasional slam.

16m cat Le Belle

Landfall was spotted 1200 hours on Tuesday the 14 of September and we made our way through the Duchateau passage to the anchorage,where  we put the anchor down at 1430 in 10m of water after 4 days of sailing and 580nm of distance.

Departure

We are finally departing to the Lousiades. The trip is 501 Nm at 50 degrees true from Cairns.

Once we pass through the Grafton Passage we are into the Blue Water of the Coral Sea.



We can be tracked on the following web site Lousiades Rally

Our first landfall will be Duchtateau group of islands ( 11` 20S  152`21E ).

The wind on the passage will be 15-20Knts from the east, but there will be wind squalls so we can expect much stronger winds. Initially there will be a westerly current set and as we get closer to the Lousiades we can expect a northerly set

Count - Down for Start of Rally to Lousiades.

Hi

Sorry for the delay in writing, but time has been a bit tight for us, not only getting ourselves ready, but also helping out the other boats. This has been a learning curve for quite a few of us....
It's now Friday September 10th at 2200 hours, and only 12 hours before we leave Australian shores!
This week has been chock-a-block with more preparations:  Weather briefings; Passage Planning; Safety + Sea rescue talks; Life Raft demonstrations; and Tropical disease, stingers etc lecture.

At 1500hours today we, (and the boat) passed through Customs Clearance, and had our Passports stamped.

So our leaving now feels more final.

After tomorrow and due to the remoteness of the area we'll be visiting, mobile or internet access will be absent.

So check this Blog again at the end of October/beginning of November where we may be back on line.

In the mean time try google earthing the Louisiades. We will be exploring Misima Island; Panasia Island; Nimowa Island; Bagaman Island; and Hoba Bay. Just to name a few.

Our boat is very full, with every storage space taken up, not just with our gear but also   containers loaded with medical equipment; books; fabric etc (donated) for the local  school, clinic and hospital on some of the islands.

Will send photos as soon as we can.

Missing you.

Love Gabrielle and Greg